Born in Gundagai, New South Wales, Michael Whiticker studied
composition in Sydney and Berlin, beginning his Bachelor of Music
in 1979 at the NSW Conservatorium, and completing his Doctorate
of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong in 1998.

As a composer Whiticker views each new work as an opportunity to
explore an untried aspect of his own potential and in doing so
avoids pursuing a tried and true formula for musical success.
Each of his compositions, while stamped with his own
idiosyncratic gestures, sounds refreshingly new and different.

Stylistically, much of his music owes a debt to his 'rock'
background, such as in the strong riffs that occasionally burst
into prominence in Redror (1989), and in other works
which cross the boundary separating art and more popular musical
culture. Works in this category include Min-ame (1988)
for bass clarinet, flute and piano, and the raunchy orchestral
composition Between Blue Rocks (1992).

Michael Whiticker has also enjoyed success with a number of his
works, which, on the surface, appear quite different in style. He
has written two chamber operas, The Bamboo Flute (1982)
and Gesualdo (1987), both of which were performed by the
Australian Opera to critical acclaim. Other works explore
extended techniques and sonorities of particular instruments. A
number of his solo works, some in combination with pre-recorded
parts, such as In Prison Air (1988) for guitar and tape,
exploit the maximum capabilities of both instrument and
performer.

Whiticker has received commissions from Germany, Canada, Sweden,
Korea and Holland, and has had numerous works funded through the
Music Board of the Australia Council. His music has been featured
in festivals such as the 1985 ISCM World Music Days and the 1991
Paris Rostrum, and, in 1992-93, he was appointed
Composer-in-Residence with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Between 1994 and 1998, Whiticker was active as a lecturer in
composition, firstly at the University of Western Sydney and
subsequently at James Cook University.

From 1997 he lived in Townsville, North Queensland, but in 2010
began to spend more time on the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane.
He works as a freelance composer, music technologist, improviser,
workshop facilitator and arts event manager. He directs his own
studio, the Sound Space, which offers a range of arts workshops
and professional recording facilities to the local community. In
2001 he held a position as Director of Aspirations /
Inspirations, a Centenary of Federation project, and the
following year was appointed Event Manager and Director of the
2002 Thuringowa River Festival. In 2005 he was appointed
Executive Officer and then Artistic and Production Director of
the Music Centre North Queensland, a position from which he
resigned in 2010 to spend more time in South-East Queensland.